Not much is known about the Northrop Grumman B-21. Nicknamed the “Raider”, it is a long-range strategic bomber and will be presented in early December by the US Air Force – which commissioned the stealth aircraft. Then the secret must be revealed – at least a little, as the “Mirror” writes.
It will be the first new American-made long-range bomber since the end of the Cold War. However, so far there is not a single picture of the machine, only a few images are public.
Journalists and reporters participating in the press conference must adhere to strict rules so that too much information does not leak out. Despite the secrecy, some details are already known.
Lots of unanswered questions and few details
As the German magazine goes on to write, it would be a flying wing – ie an aircraft without a traditional fuselage – and have “unprecedented stealth properties”. Named for the 21st century, the B-21 could mislead enemy radar and enter enemy airspace undetected. “It can hit targets anywhere in the world,” the manufacturer Northrop Grumman boasts on its website.
Outwardly, the B-21 should resemble its big brother B-2 “Spirit”. This was presented almost 34 years ago to this day and, with a proud unit price of more than two billion dollars, gained fame as the “most expensive aircraft of all time”. The “Spirit” fleet was correspondingly small with only 21 machines. Apparently Washington wants to be a little more generous with the B-21. So far, 100 units at $ 623 million are planned, according to “Spiegel”, an expansion of the fleet to 150 units is also not excluded.
When exactly “Raider” will be ready for use is and remains unclear. All that is clear is that the machine will be brought to Edwards Air Force Base in California next year for extensive testing. According to the magazine, observers expect the first bombers to be ready for launch not much later than 2025, seven years after they entered service.
China is also working on a bomber
The premiere of the plane for Russia, North Korea and China should be particularly exciting. China is also working on a strategic bomber that will be deployed in the coming years: the Xian H-20.
Not only the names are similar, but also the design. The bomber is also to be designed as a stealth aircraft and flying wing, and should also be similar in size to its US counterpart, according to “Flugrevue”.
The Xian H-20 is intended to replace the aging Xian H-6, a Chinese licence-built Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 bomber. Here too, observers speak of the first test flights that will take place soon. (chs)